The present invention relates to containers for storing and shipping panels, such as panes of glass.
Flat sheets of glass are commonly shipped in a bundle comprising a plurality of sheets of identical rectangular dimensions with a powder between abutting sheets. The bundle often is secured in a steel rack which can be handled by a forklift or similar material handling equipment. The steel racks can be stacked one upon another in a warehouse with the lower racks supporting the weight of the racks above.
Although the steel racks protect the glass during shipment and storage, there are two drawbacks to their use. The racks are not adjustable and are fabricated in a size that is capable of holding the largest glass panel produced by the manufacturer. Thus when smaller panels are shipped and stored, the container takes up a significantly larger volume than is required by the stack of glass panes. In addition the steel racks weight between 300 and 600 pounds which adds significantly to the shipping weight and thus the freight costs. Further, the weight also determines the cost of returning the racks to the manufacturer for reuse.
More recently packaging has been devised which employ four corner caps that extend along the intersection of the edges of the stack of glass panels. Corrugated cardboard or wooden sheets extend between adjacent pairs of the corner caps to prevent the stack from racking. Metal or plastic bands then are placed around the stack to hold the corner caps in place.
Although this corner cap structure was an improvement over the racks previously used, it requires the use of corrugated cardboard or wooden sheets which as cut to the dimensions of the specific bundle of glass panes being shipped. In addition, the bands that wrap around the assembly bend sharply at ninety degrees at each corner cap which makes tightening the bands difficult.